Best ending
Free! the Final Stroke the First Volume
as Tsubasa Hoshikawa (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Free! the Final Stroke the First Volume
as Tsubasa Hoshikawa (voice)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Free! the Final Stroke the First Volume
as Tsubasa Hoshikawa (voice)
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Free! the Final Stroke the First Volume
as Tsubasa Hoshikawa (voice)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Free! the Final Stroke the First Volume
as Tsubasa Hoshikawa (voice)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Free! the Final Stroke the First Volume
as Tsubasa Hoshikawa (voice)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Free! the Final Stroke the First Volume
as Tsubasa Hoshikawa (voice)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Free! the Final Stroke the Second Volume
as Tsubasa Hoshikawa (voice)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.